Sk8r Boi
by Rid3r Chick
Summary: Tired of being shut up in his room doing homework, Alex decides to have some fun on his own terms. One-shot with the possibility of becoming something more. SNAIL MAIL SLOW UPDATES.
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! Here's another one-shot. It's not as fluffy as the other one, but it's pretty light. I decided to try my hand at something other than what I've done before.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Alex Rider no matter how much I pray. Only one person gets the ultimate right to claim him. I do, however, claim the plot and people you may not recognize (which comes to a grand total of two).**Sk8r Boi

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Alex sighed in frustration as he ran a hand through his fair hair. He stared at the latest homework assignment on his desk. The numbers were starting to blur together and no matter how he turned the page, they just didn't make sense. With a barely audible growl, he pushed away from his desk and walked over to his window.

From his vantage point, he could see the signs of life going on. People were out in the summer sun planting flower gardens and playing in the water sprinklers. Once again, he was in his room catching up on school work that should have been done half a term ago. Once again, MI6 had dictated how his life was supposed to be. If it wasn't for the constant missions, he wouldn't be out of school so much and he wouldn't have so much to catch up on. Usually, he held his tongue and finished what he was supposed to do, giving up any chance of taking a much deserved break. Not anymore.

Alex was tired of living a double life. Sure, he enjoyed the challenge that came with going on missions, but he hated coming home to pick up the pieces that were his life. He hated the fact that he couldn't blow off a homework assignment or two because if he did, he would fail and failing was _not _and option. He hated that he didn't have any alone time to do what _he_ wanted to do. All that was about to change.

He turned away from his window and walked straight to his closet. He rummaged around for a few moments before pulling out a pair of baggy shorts, a shirt, and deck shoes. He closed the door with his foot and proceeded to change out of his horrible school uniform. Minutes later, he stood in front of the mirror he had put up behind his door and smiled. In his place, he saw a regular sixteen year old boy with fair hair hanging his in eyes wearing khaki shorts, a white shirt with DC written across it in black lettering, and brown DC deck shoes. Nothing about this boy said he was a spy or that he was on the verge of failing. This boy was carefree and Alex liked that. Before he left out of his room, he grabbed a baseball cap.

Alex thundered down the stairs and almost bumped into Jack, who had the phone glued to her ear. Whoever she was talking to seemed to match her personality because the conversation was going non-stop.

"Are you going out?" she asked in between agreeing with the person on the other end of the phone.

"For a bit," he said grabbing his keys off the hook in the kitchen.

"Okay. Call me if you're going to be out later than seven," she said before grabbing an orange and retreating upstairs.

With a nod she didn't see, Alex opened the door that led to the garage and walked in. He scanned the room before his eyes settled on his skateboard. It was by Blind. The top of the deck was covered in deck tape of all colors. The bottom of the deck was light and dark blue with the Blind Reaper Ripper standing in front of the words. He sat on an upturned bucket and placed the board across his lap. With experienced hands, he went over the board making sure that everything was in working condition. Satisfied, he put it down and stepped on it and did an Ollie. When he was done, he left out of the garage and walked back into the kitchen before leaving out of the front door. He hopped on the board and took off towards the closest tube station.

888

Alex got off the tube in the heart of London. He walked passed business people getting off of work. He thought of skating in between them but he knew that that would only irritate them to the point of explosion. With a smirk, he put his board down and skated between them anyway. He laughed out loud when he heard them shouting behind him. He heard "damn kids," "stupid skateboards," and all kinds of crude comments. It didn't take him long to get where he wanted to be: the skate park. When he walked through the gate, he smiled at the sight.

Boys and girls where skating in half pipes and quarter pipes, grinding on rails and anything else that could give them big air while music heavy with guitar rifts filled the air. Those that didn't come to skate stood around talking or eating something from the vendor on the other side of the park. The park wasn't busy since it was a school night, but most of the equipment was being used. Alex skated around until he found the pool empty. He brushed his bangs back and put his hat back on. With a deep breath, he pushed off and entered a world where he ignored everything but the board under his feet and the concrete under that.

When he couldn't see anything from the sweat running into his eyes, Alex took a break, only to find the sides of the pool filled with incredulous faces.

"Can I help you?" he asked wiping his face with a towel he stashed in a pocket.

"Where did you learn to do that?" a bloke asked.

Alex looked at him. He had a red Mohawk and multiple lip piercings.

"Nowhere."

"Oh, come off it. I've never seen anyone pull off grinding fakie before without falling on their ass," he said.

"I didn't learn that anywhere. I just stepped on the board and did it," Alex protested but the bloke didn't seem too convinced. "I'm serious."

"Leave him alone, Chris."

Alex watched the crowd part to allow a girl through. She was wearing baggy cut off sweat pants and a camo tank top that showed off a belly ring. Her dark hair was styled in a pixie cut with neon pink hi-lights. "Chris" seemed to back down but, just a little bit.

"Riley, I swear to you that he was grinding the rail fakie," Chris said.

"I didn't say I didn't believe you," she said in an American accent. She turned her brown eyes to Alex and smiled. "Chris doesn't think that anyone can skate better than he can and when he sees someone that can, it takes him a while to comprehend his new discovery."

Alex could see Chris was flushing and he wanted to diffuse the situation before Chris ended up needing stitches.

"Could you tell him to comprehend his discovery calmly?" Alex asked her.

"Don't worry. He's harmless." She looked at Chris and corrected herself. "Mostly harmless. I'm Riley by the way."

"Alex."

"Well, Alex, would you mind company down there?"

It was then that Alex saw that she had one foot propped up on a skateboard. With a shrug, he watched as Riley pushed off and completed a circuit of the pool before coming to a stop next to him.

"Shall we?" she asked and Alex saw that she had a dimple in her left cheek and a nose stud.

"After you."

Riley didn't need to be told twice. She took off and promptly grinded the closest rail. Alex took off after her. The crowd on the edges stayed where they were watching with interest. Chris didn't like the cold shoulder Riley threw his way so he left, not that he was missed. A few more brave souls decided to join in on the fun and time seemed to fly by. Before he knew it, the clock on his phone read 7:15 and there were six voice messages from Jack. Excusing himself from his new bunch of admirers, Alex called Jack.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm at the park."

"Why haven't you called?"

"I got held up but I'm calling you now," he said rushing the last bit so he could say it before Jack cut him off again.

"Held up doing what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Talking."

"About?"

"Skateboards."

"Oh."

Alex could tell she was a little embarrassed about being so pushy but he knew she was just worried.

"I'm fine, Jack, although I might be late getting in."

"How late?"

"Eleven, maybe?"

"Alex Rider! Have you lost your mind?! It's a school night!"

"I know."

"You know?! Are you feeling okay?"

"Better than I have in a while. Look, I got to go. They're calling me. Bye."

He hung up before she could object anymore. He wanted to be normal and coming home late on a school night was number one on his normal list. With a smirk, he turned his phone on silent and went back to join the discussion he left. Riley looked up as he approached.

"Are you in or what?" she asked with a smile.

"Count me in."

"Well, then. Let's be off," she said as stepped on the edge of her board to pop it into her waiting hand.

* * *

Heehee. A little cliff hanger there. I wonder what they could be going off to do? Hmm. Anyway, drop me a line or two if you liked it or not or if you want me to write something else to go with this. I'm sorry if this offended any die hard skaters. Everything up above came from my brother and skateboard.. Hopefully I didn't put anyone off of skating with my horrible term usage. I tried although I hope that the imagery is enough to let your imagination run with it. Enough from me. Until then... -RC


	2. Chapter 2

After much deletion and revision on my part, I would like to present you with the long awaited chapter two for those who expressed their opinion that I should continue with this. I quite like this story. It's a challenge for me to keep the angst and the danger to a mimimum because that's easy to write about (sort of, anyways). Okay, I'm going to stop blabbering and let you get on with reading!

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Chapter Two

Alex stumbled into the foyer of his home four hours later soaking wet. He dropped his board and heard it clatter against the ceramic floors as he walked into the kitchen. Flipping on the light, he walked straight to the fridge and opened it wide. He dug around for a moment before he pulled out leftover Thai food. He waited impatiently for it to warm in the microwave. When the bell dinged, he hurriedly opened the door to keep down the noise to prevent Jack from hearing.

His caution was in vain; Jack was glaring at him from her position in the doorway.

"Nice time for you to show up," she said.

Alex turned around. He had never seen Jack so angry. She had her arms folded in front of her chest as she leaned against the door frame. He turned back around and opened a drawer looking for chopsticks.

"Better late then never, right?" he asked as he moved past her.

Jack stared at his retreating back as he turned left to go upstairs. Who was that kid that came waltzing in through the door and midnight? Was that the person Alex truly was if he hadn't been roped into working for MI6? She trailed after him and stopped in his doorway.

He had placed his bowl on his desk so he could change into some pajama bottoms.

"Where have you been?" she asked, trying to remain calm and failing.

"I was out," he said taking a bite of his noodles.

"Out where?"

"With friends."

His short replies made her nervous. Alex had never been one for talking but he would once she caught his interest.

"Do I know them?" she asked running through all the people Alex had talked about in the past few years. She came up blank after thinking of Tom and Sabina, who she knew would not be out to all hours of the night. For one, Sabina was out of the country and Tom was at home stuck with homework.

Alex looked up at Jack from under his bangs. She was trying to stay calm but he could see the blush under her skin.

"No, you don't know them. I just met them tonight," he said as he stuffed his face again.

"Alex, what is this all about?" Jack asked coming to sit next to him on the bed. "Is this some sort of teenaged rebellion or something?"

"No. It's nothing. Can I go to sleep now?"

Jack looked at Alex. She never thought she would see the day when he would act his age. Ever since she had known him, he had always acted older than he was. Although he was trying not to worry her, she was still unsure. Reluctantly, she stood up and took his bowl. Just before she closed the door, she looked back at him. He was already buried underneath his covers.

Alex waited until Jack had closed the door before he flipped open his phone and smiled. He had a message from Riley.

**You get home ok?**

_Yeah. U?_

**No prob. The rents gave me grief. ******

Alex smiled. Jack didn't give him grief per se, she just worried. He guessed that worrisome parents, well in his case guardians, were just a part of being normal.

**What r u doing tom?**

_Nothin. Y?_

**A friend is havin a party. U wanna come?**

_When and where?_

**10pm the sugar mill downtown.**

_Can we get in?_

**Of course. She's my friend. Duh.**

Alex smirked. He had walked right into that one. He continued to text Riley until about 3am. The last he thought he had before falling asleep was that his phone bill would be totally expensive.

888

At precisely 7am, Alex's alarm went off. With a curse that would make Capt. Hook proud, an arm extracted itself from his covers and clicked the snooze button. He had about five more minutes of sleep before his door was thrown open and an unholy racket was being made in the form of Jack.

"Come on, Alex. Wake up!" she yelled from the doorway.

Alex poked his head out from under his covers and swore.

"What the hell, Jack? It's fucking 7:15 in the bloody morning."

"I know. It's the time you normally wake up for school."

Jack heard him mumble something that sounded like she could shove school up somewhere it shouldn't be.

"You wanted to go out and party last night. Now you have to deal with the repercussions," she said as she pulled back his covers. "Now get your lazy ass up and go take a shower."

Alex stumbled out of bed and glared at the closest thing he had to a mother. He turned the water on and waited for it to get warm before he stripped. Standing under the warm spray, he thought about what he did last night. To those who hung out on a regular basis, sitting around a TV playing video games and spin the bottle wasn't fun.

After he had agreed to go with Riley, she introduced him to her friends Mai, Candace, and Mike. Mai was Asian and the other half and opposite of Riley. Mai kept her long, dark hair in a neat pony tail. She wore clothes that fit and very girly. The only thing that distinguished Mai as a skater was the scars on her knees that attested to tricks gone wrong. Candace had blue eyes and blonde hair with white blond and blue hi lights. She dressed in baggy clothes like Riley. Mike was the only guy besides Chris, but since Chris was off sulking, Mike was flying solo. He had curly brown hair and green eyes. He didn't skate; he just recorded their tricks and put them on DVDs.

"Hey, Rider! It's almost 7:30; you're going to be late," Jack yelled over the water.

Alex grabbed some soap and washed off last night's grime. He hopped out a few minutes later and walked across the hall to his room still wet. After he dried off, he threw on his uniform, grabbed his bag, and ran downstairs.

Jack was sitting at the bar with her coffee reading the newspaper. When he came into the kitchen, she glanced up at him.

"You going to school with wet hair?"

Alex ran a hand through his hair and nodded. He grabbed a banana from the Lazy Susan and walked out. When he reached the door, he grabbed his keys.

"Bye, Jack!" he called before he locked and closed the door.

Jack watched as he went around the side of the house to get his bike. She smirked as he slowly made his way down the street. He was going to be tired as hell that morning. Maybe he might learn his lesson and stop whatever he was trying to prove.

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Did you like it? Hate it? Drop a line and let me know so I can get ready to type up chapter three, which will probably be the party chapter. Would we like Alex to get with Riley and end the night, or morning, with a kiss? Go further or just stop all together? Let me know because this story is not set in stone and I can write it up. So let me know and I'll get back to you. Peace. -RC


	3. Chapter 3

Okay. I lied. I said that this chapter would be the party chapter. I postponed that chapter to the next one, which still needs to be written. This is a filler but I think that it's needed to help with Alex's definition of "normal."

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Chapter Three

By the time Alex got to school, he could barely stand up straight he was so tired. He made his way slowly up the front walk and on to his first period class. As usual, he took a desk in the back and waited for class to start. He hardly noticed as Tom sat next to him and if he said something, Alex didn't hear him because he was fast asleep.

When the bell rung and hour and a half later, Tom had to shake him awake.

"Mate, what were you doing last night?" Tom asked as he helped Alex gather his stuff.

"I went out," he said as he stretched and walked out of the classroom.

"I kind of got that," Tom said.

"You know what? I think I'm going to skip the rest of the day."

"Why? Don't you have a maths test today? Johnson's not going to let you retake it."

Alex shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. Tom was right; it would be better if he took the test and failed than get a zero.

"You're right, Tom," he said as he took off down the hall towards his next class.

When lunch rolled around, Alex wasn't so tired. He sat down with a sigh next to Tom and promptly put his head down.

"You alright?"

Alex groaned and shook his head.

"So what did you do last night?"

"I went to the skate park and didn't get home until midnight. Then on top of that, I didn't stop texting Riley until three this morning. Jack didn't have any mercy and woke me up at seven."

"Jack let you stay out that late?" Tom asked, incredulous.

"She didn't _let_ me stay out, I just did."

"Wow. That takes balls. Now who is Riley?"

"She's no one."

Tom looked as if Christmas had come early and Alex wished he had kept his mouth shut.

"Oh, come on, Alex. You stayed up late talking to a _girl_?! Where did you meet? What does she look like?"

Tom's questions were endless.

"Can we change the subject now?" Alex asked on the verge of pleading.

"Why? You shouldn't have said anything if you didn't want to talk about it. Just give me one tiny detail. Please, Alex? You know I'm your best mate and I promise I won't tell. Although if I do, the rumors about you being gay might be squashed."

Alex looked up sharply. "What the hell?"

Tom looked taken aback. "You didn't know?"

"Tom, when have I ever been in school long enough to participate in the rumor mill?" Alex asked as he stood up to leave out of the cafeteria.

Tom followed behind his friend wishing he had kept _his _mouth shut for once. When he caught up to Alex, he opened his mouth to say something but closed it with an audible click.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I though you knew."

Alex shook his head. "It's okay. I'm used to it." He paused for a moment. "Do you still want to hear about Riley?"

Tom broke out of his melancholy daze. "Hell yeah!"

Alex smirked as he started telling Tom about his afternoon adventure.

888

"Jack, I'm home!" he called as he walked through the door.

"In the kitchen!" she called back.

Alex walked into the kitchen to find Jack cleaning out the fridge. When she looked up, he saw that she had soap suds in her hair.

"How was school?" she huffed as she stood up.

"No clue; I slept through most of it."

Jack threw him a look and Alex just shrugged.

"You shouldn't stay out so late on a school night," she said as she walked past him.

"I'll try to remember that next time."

"Next time?!" she shrieked whirling to face him. "You're gonna stay out late on a school night _again_?!"

"Maybe," he said picking up and apple.

"Are you crazy? With all that shit with MI6, you're already behind in your school work. If you purposely slack off, you might just fail! Do you want to fail?"

Alex took a bite of his apple before he answered. "Nope."

Jack just stared at him. He looked so comfortable as he practically told her he didn't care if he passed or failed Year 11.

Alex pitched the remains of his apple into the trash can before he picked up his school bag.

"I'm going to attempt some homework before I go to sleep. If I'm not up by eight, could you wake me up?"

He left Jack staring at his back. She jerked out of her reverie as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Are you going somewhere tonight?"

Jack watched him poke his head around the wall and smile a true smile.

"Yeah. Riley invited me to a party at the Sugar Mill tonight."

"But that's a club!"

"I know. She knows some people who know some people. Don't worry so much, Jack. It'll be fine."

As soon as he closed the door, his phone started ringing. Flipping it open, he saw Riley had left him a message.

**Where do u live?**

_Chelsea. Y?_

**I managed to get some wheels. U wanna ride?**

_Yeah._

He sent off the directions to his house a few moments later.

**I'll be there around 9. Peace.**

Alex closed his phone and grabbed his books out of his bag. English and history were easy. The answers he needed were in the text. Chemistry wasn't so bad either. His maths book stayed closed. He would figure that crap out at a later date. Glancing at his clock, he figured he had some time for a quick nap.

888

Precisely at eight, Jack woke him up with a frown on her face.

"How do you know you can trust these people?" she asked as she followed him into his closet.

"I don't."

"Alex, think for a second."

"Jack, I think all the time. I'm trying to _not _think," he said as he pulled out a pair of light stonewashed jeans and a long sleeved white shirt with light blue vertical stripes.

Jack sat on his bed and sighed. She watched as he went back into the closet to pull out a pair of brown Steve Maddens. She knew that no matter what she said, he was going to go. She got up and left. A few seconds later, she returned to her place on his bed.

"Alex…"

He looked up from rummaging in his drawers and raised an eyebrow.

"Here," she said handing him several somethings in shiny packaging.

Puzzled, he picked one up and swore.

"Jesus Christ, Jack! A condom?"

"Well, you're going to a party at a club. Emotions will be running high as much as your blood alcohol level and I just want you to be safe."

Alex knew his face was red. After all of the things Jack could have said to him, **that** was the last thing he thought of.

"You're not going to give me The Speech are you?" he asked.

"Oh, God no. Just be careful."

Alex watched her leave. Shaking his head, he walked across the hall to take a shower. A few minutes later, he was out. He blow dried his hair and got dressed. He had just put on his wooden beaded necklace when he heard the doorbell ring.

Jack's voice could be heard as well as Riley's. With a deep breath, he took one more look in his mirror before he turned off the light and descended the stairs. When he got to the bottom, Jack had her back to him.

"Hey."

Riley walked around Jack and smiled. She was wearing a pair of very low skinny jeans and a halter top that showed her midriff. Alex thought she looked nice.

"You ready?" she asked as she flashed him her dimples.

"Yeah."

"Bye, Jack. It was nice meeting you."

"What time should I be expecting him?"

"Not sure. I'll have him call if we're later than three."

Alex saw Jack grip the door frame as she tried to keep a smile on her face.

Riley opened the back door and slid in. Alex slid in after her and closed the door.

"Now, let's party!" she said as Mike drove off.

* * *

I don't think that this chapter was so bad. It showed a little normalcy at school. I mean, the aggravating friend trying to figure out his best friend's secret crush. Don't boys do that? I know girls do. Anyways, party chapter is up next. Until then... -RC


	4. Chapter 4

Here's chapter four! Enjoy.

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Chapter Four

By the time they arrived, the line to get in the club was wrapped around the building. Mike found somewhere to park and they started the five minute walk to the entrance. Alex eyed the growing line with apprehension. He knew that people who waited forever in a line did not take cutting lightly.

He bent down to whisper in Riley's ear. "How are we going to get in?"

"Will you stop worrying so much?" she asked as she looked up at him. "We've got passes."

Riley walked up to the bouncer and flashed something at him. The guy nodded once and let them pass into the lobby. Once they got past him, they came up to a pair of double doors that would lead them into the club proper. Instead of going straight ahead, Riley turned left and walked down a hallway. At the end of the hall was a flight of steps that took them to the second floor and to a second doorway.

"Welcome to the VIP Lounge at the Sugar Mill," she said with a flourish as she opened one of the double doors.

The music that was once muffled came at them at full force. From what he could see, the VIP Lounge was done up in colors of blue and green with flashing lights everywhere. People were dancing and laughing everywhere Alex turned. He smirked; this was going to be fun.

888

Fifteen minutes after they arrived, Candace and Mike hit the dance floor and had been missing ever since. Riley had also disappeared saying she saw someone she knew. In the sea of dancing bodies, only two people were sitting down.

Mai and Alex were discussing the pros and cons of using Rollerblades or regular roller skates.

"I like Rollerblades because the brakes are in the back. It just gives me more security," Mai was saying.

"Mai, you do tricks on a skateboard with _no_ brakes and you're worried about security?" Alex asked.

Mai shook her head and laughed. "I know that my fear makes no sense but have you ever been afraid of something that clashes with whatever you're doing?"

Alex nodded his head. He knew all about that irrational fear. He thought about it every time he went on a mission. He shivered at all the times he had overcome a near death experience only to meet another one.

"That has happened to me one too many times."

Mai nodded and took a sip of her water. Just then Riley walked over.

"Why are you sitting down?" she asked frowning.

"You know I don't dance," Mai told her best friend.

Riley turned her gaze to Alex and waited for his excuse. "Your reason, Rider?"

"I don't dance, either," he said as he downed the rest of his drink.

"I don't believe you," she said as she reached for his hand. "Dance with me."

Alex stared at her. "No."

"Aww, come on. I invited you so you can have fun and _dance_," she said as she pulled him to his feet. "Hold down the fort, Mai."

Alex let himself be pulled to the dance floor. Riley nodded to people they passed until she reached the middle of the floor. Alex saw that she was completely comfortable as she moved her body to the beat. When she turned around and realized that he was still standing there, she sighed.

"Come on, Alex. I know you've done this before," she shouted over the music.

Alex shook his head. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, love, but I've never danced before."

Riley stopped moving and stared. "Are you serious?! I would have thought you went to parties every weekend."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?"

Riley gave him a "duh" expression. "Dude, you're hot. I would have thought girls plastered themselves to you when you walk down a hall." She paused as she looked up at him. "You sure you've never done this before?"

"Positive."

"Well, I'm going to have to teach you."

At that precise moment, "Dirty" by Christina Aguilera started playing and Riley snapped her fingers. She closed the distance between them until there was just a little space between them and placed her hands on his hips and moved them to the beat.

"Do you feel that?" she asked as moved with him.

"Yeah."

"Cool. Now move your feet a little," she said while demonstrating.

Alex did what he was told until he didn't need her help anymore.

"Sweet," she said as she stepped closer to him until there was no space left and turned around so they were facing the same direction.

Alex took a deep breath as Riley moved against him. He let it out in a huff when she placed his hands on her hips before wrapping her arms around his neck. Her skin was hot to the touch. Alex shivered as her fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the back of his neck. When a song with a slower beat came on, Riley turned around to face him, somehow managing to get closer.

"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" she whispered in his ear.

He dipped his head down and placed a kiss on her shoulder before replying. "Never."

"I can't tell."

Alex just smiled as he traced patterns on the small of her back.

A long while later, they made their way back over to Mai, who had struck up a conversation with a guy that had black and blue hair.

"You want something to drink?"

Riley thought about it for a second before she nodded. "Get me a Long Island iced tea."

Alex nodded and walked over to the bar. The bartender was busy, both fixing drinks and ignoring the catcalls she was receiving. When she noticed Alex, she made her way over to him.

"What can I get you?" she asked with a smile.

"A Long Island iced tea and a Coke, if you have it."

Alex watched in awe as she worked. It seemed as if she had more than just two hands as she went along the bar passing out drinks.

"Here you go."

Alex nodded and turned to go but a voice behind him stopped him.

"I'm Tarryn by the way," she said with a wink before she got back to work.

Alex handed Riley her drink and sat down. Out of nowhere, Mike and Candace popped up.

"I though you guys had gotten lost in the sea of grinding bodies," Alex said.

"We, uh, did a little exploring," Mike said with a mischievous grin and Candace punched him. "What?"

"Can you not keep a secret?"

"They were gonna find out anyway," he protested.

"About damn time."

Everyone turned to face Mai.

"What?" she said. "It was only a matter of time before they crossed the line. Mike had been after Candace since forever and Candace, well, you know Candace."

Riley laughed, glad her friends finally made a move. Suddenly, she sat up. "Ooh. I like this song! Come on, Alex."

Mike grinned. "Have fun."

Alex rolled his eyes as he followed Riley back to the dance floor. He found her dancing by herself with a silly smile on her face.

"Come on, Alex," she said as she snaked her way around him.

Alex grabbed her hand and spun her around in a circle before he caught her against his chest and dipped her. When she came up, she was laughing.

"For a guy that doesn't dance, that was pretty good."

"Thanks."

They spent the rest of the night acting crazy and trying not bump into anyone. At the end of the party, which didn't end until four, Alex and his new friends walked out of the Sugar Mill. Mike and Candace seemed attached at the lips and they needed a driver.

"I can't do it," Mai said. "I haven't passed my test yet."

Riley looked at Alex and shrugged as she held her hand out to play rock, paper, scissors. After playing three games, Alex rolled his eyes and took the keys. Technically, he wasn't supposed to drive without an adult but he knew no one was going to rat him out.

"Shot gun!" Riley called as Mai groaned.

"Please don't leave me in the backseat with these two. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Sorry, Mai," Alex said as he got behind the wheel.

They drove around for a few minutes with the windows down and the music up loud until Mai cursed.

"I gotta be home in, like fifteen minutes!" she cried from the backseat. "Turn here."

Alex turned where she pointed and continued following her directions until they came to a two story townhouse.

"Thanks you guys. I had fun. I'll call you tomorrow," she said before she turned around and walked to her front door.

Alex waited until she had gone inside before leaving. He looked in the rear view window and quickly looked away.

"Where should I drop them off?" he asked Riley.

"Turn here."

A few minutes later, Mike and Candace got out. Alex watched on with a slight smile on his face as Mike opened the door and practically stumbled inside.

"Whose house is this?"

"Mike's. Candace lives three doors down."

"She won't get in trouble?" he asked knowing what was going to happen in Mike's bedroom.

"Nah. Her parents are pretty laid back."

Alex shoo his head as he started for his house. When he pulled into his driveway thirty minutes later, he looked at the clock on the dashboard. It read 5:45. Jack was going to be pissed. Oh, well. Slowly, he got out of the car and waited for Riley do to the same.

"So, did you have fun?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, I did," he said leaning against the car's hood.

Riley came to stand next to him and leaned her head back to look at the sky. Sighing, she closed her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked looking down on her.

"Nothing. It's just…"

"What?" he prompted.

Riley started to pace in front of him. "Well, I would like to think of us as friends, although I just met you yesterday. I like you, Alex. I really do and hanging out with you is fun, even though we really don't do anything…"

Alex watched her pace with a smile on his face. Riley wasn't as self confident as she appeared. He was just glad she brought up the topic. Without stopping to think of his actions, he pulled her to him and brought his lips down on hers. A second later, he pulled back to look at her.

Riley had a huge smile on her face as she looked at him. "Wow. Kiss me again?"

"Sure," he said before he kissed her again.

* * *

Be honest people and tell me what you think. I don't like it as much as the other chapters, but I'm allowed to be anal about these things. If I don't like it any more tomorrow, I may take it down and change it. I'll let you know if I do. Until then... -RC


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the wait. I couldn't come up with something that I liked. After writing, and deleting, it about five times, this is the result.

Last chapter, Alex finally made his move. This is what happened afterwards. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Five

Jack woke up with a start. She looked around and realized that she wasn't in her room; instead she was in the den. She sat up and cringed from the pain in her neck. Sleeping in a hard backed chair wasn't one of her more brilliant ideas. She stood up to alleviate the pins and needles she felt in her legs.

She made her way into the kitchen and glanced at the clock. She did a double take. It was 8am. She picked up the phone and flipped through the caller ID to see if anyone had called around 3. Starting to get a little worried, she turned on the coffee pot and went to open the front door to pick up the newspaper. She was about to return inside when she noticed the blue car parked in front of the house. Her curiosity turned into worry. She knew Alex was a boy and that he had had crushes on girls in the past, but he wouldn't bring one home in the middle of the night, would he? From the look on his face when she handed him some condoms for protection, he seemed almost reluctant to take them. That meant he was thinking of waiting a few years right?

With those thoughts running rampant through her mind, she quickly ran up the stairs and walked down the hall to his room. Without bothering to knock, she threw the door open and froze. She definitely saw two bodies huddled under the covers and they looked too close for comfort.

Jack leaned against the door frame, breathing hard. Her mantra of nothing happened was suddenly wiped from her mind.

"Alex?!" she shrieked.

888

Alex jumped when he heard Jack's shout. Poking his head out from under his covers, she squinted in her general direction. He felt Riley shift a little before she settled down again.

"Can you keep it down a little, Jack?" he asked.

Her shriek mixing with the sunlight streaming in was giving him a headache. Just then, Riley reached an arm up and wrapped in around his waist. Alex saw Jack's eyes widen and he cursed.

"Alex John Rider! Get your ass up right now!"

Alex sighed as he pushed his share of the covers off and stood up, stretching.

"Is she under there?" she asked noticing that there were clothes everywhere and that Alex was shirtless.

Alex looked back to his bed and smiled. "Yeah." When he turned around, Jack was looking at him hard. "What?"

"Are those love _bites_?" she asked her voice rising.

Alex looked at his reflection in the mirror and sure enough, there were a few red marks on his neck and shoulder.

"That's what they look like," he said as he smirked wondering if Riley had any.

Jack didn't look so good. Her face was red and she was holding on to the door frame with unnecessary force.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Am I okay?" she whispered. Jack took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eye. "Tell me the truth: did you sleep with her?"

Alex was taken aback. "What the hell, Jack?! First you have a fit about me going out, then you just about give me your blessings by handing me condoms. What do you want me to do?"

"Just because I give you the means to go about having sex doesn't mean I want you to! Geez. And then you bring her here!"

Alex put a hand over Jack's mouth and steered her out of his room and into the bathroom. He shut and locked the door and glared at Jack, who was sitting on the closed toilet.

"What's the matter, Jack?" he asked.

"You! What's with you wanting to stay out late all the time? What's she done to you?"

"Nothing! Everything that I've done, I did because I wanted to. Riley has nothing to do with it. Besides, I'm 16, I have a right to go out and have sex if I want."

Jack stared openmouthed as Alex left her in the bathroom.

As soon as he walked back in his room, he saw that Riley was sitting up in the middle of his bed,

"I take it that she's not happy with you," she said.

"She'll live. I'm sorry that you had to hear that."

"I've been called worse things," she said as she got out of the bed.

"You don't have to leave."

"I think that I should," she said as she slipped off the overlarge shirt.

Alex stared as she stood in the middle of his room wearing only her underwear. Riley caught him staring and smiled as he adverted his eyes and took a step towards the open door.

"You don't have to leave," she said as she wiggled into her jeans. She walked in front of him and lifted his chin.

Alex shook his head as she put her halter top back on and turned around so he could tie it. When she turned back around, she hugged him.

"Thanks for last night. It was fun. Talking to you in person is so much more fun than texting you. I'll call you later to see if you want to do something."

Alex took her hand and walked her to the door.

"I had fun last night. Thanks."

"No problem."

"So I'll see you later then?" he asked.

"Of course. Just because Jack hates me doesn't mean that I'll stay away," she said with a laugh as she walked down the front walk backwards.

Alex watched as she drove off before he closed the door. When he turned around, he was face to face with Jack.

"She's gone. Happy now?" he asked as he shouldered past her.

"Alex we need to talk," she said grabbing his arm to stop him.

"So can just tell me how much of a bad influence Riley is? Save it."

Alex went upstairs and came back down fifteen minutes later.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked from the kitchen.

"Out," was all he said before the door slammed shut.

* * *

Did you like it? Hate it? Drop me a line and tell me either way.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm back after a much needed brain search. I just couldn't find anything to write down that I liked. Here's what I got.

_Recap of the last chapter: Jack wakes up and realizes that it's the morning after Alex went out. She has a cow when she sees that he has company. Alex gets pissed and leaves after giving Jack the cold shoulder._Chapter Six

* * *

Alex wandered around Chelsea with no particular destination in mind. Jack had called at least ten times, but he just ignored his phone. He had stopped at a bakery and bought breakfast when his phone beeped for the thousandth time. Fed up, he answered.

"What?"

"What crawled up your arse and died?"

"Sorry, Tom."

"No worries, mate. So I heard you pissed Jack off."

Alex shook his head. He had expected Jack to call Tom so he could talk some sense into him.

"Well, did she tell you that she pissed me off too?" he asked.

"Not really. She just said you stormed out of the house after she told you something."

"Would you stay in a house with the person that basically called your friend a slut?"

There was silence on the other end.

"Figures."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"It can't be 'nothing,' Alex. Jack wouldn't call someone a slut for no reason."

"She slept over."

"Bloody hell! Was Jack there?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Christ, Alex. You don't bring your girl over for a shag if your parents are home!" Tom all but shouted.

Alex sighed. "I wish everyone will stop jumping to fucking conclusions! Did I say I screwed her? Hell fucking no!"

"So what did you do if you didn't?"

"Can I not talk to someone until dawn? Can I not kiss someone and then fall asleep? Apparently not."

"Why didn't you tell this to Jack?"

"I would have if she would have given me a damn minute. Instead she was blabbing on and on about sex and shit," he said as he stood up to exit the bakery since he was getting some weird looks from the customers.

Alex stood outside on the sidewalk and contemplated his next move.

"Well, when are you going to talk to Jack?"

"When I get back home. Why?"

"No reason."

Alex glared at the ground. Tom only said "no reason" when he had done something stupid.

"What did you do?"

"We're on three-way."

Alex ended the call with a curse. Tom called back but he ignored it. Pissed beyond reason, he called Riley.

"Yeah?"

"Are you asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh, I'll call you back."

"That's okay. What's up?" she asked.

Alex heard her move around a bit before she settled down again.

"I've just been punk'd."

Riley laughed. "By whom?"

"My supposed best friend and Jack."

Riley's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Oh shit. What happened?"

"Apparently, Jack wanted to know what happened last night so instead of just asking me, she has Tom call and ask. So I vaguely tell him what happens. Then he gets all quiet and tells me that we were having a freaking three way conversation. Three guesses as to who that mysterious person was."

"Damn. Why would he do something like that?"

Alex ran a hand over his face. "I have no idea. I have no idea why people do the things that they do anymore."

"I don't know how to answer that one, Alex," she said.

"That's okay. I didn't expect and answer. I really didn't mean to wake you up."

"I need to get up anyways. What are you going to do today?"

Alex groaned. "Maths homework. I have, like, three assignments to do and I haven't done them and I have a test next week."

"Well, what math are you taking?"

"Pre-Calculus and my teacher is a bitch, no offense."

"None taken. I could help you if you want. I'm pretty good at math."

"That would be fantastic. When is a good time for you?"

"How about noon?"

"Where?"

"How about the Yen Cyber Café?"

"I'll see you then. Thanks, Riley."

"No problem. Just bring your stuff and a few kisses."

"I can do that. Bye."

"Later."

888

Alex walked into the cyber café a little after the designated time. He looked around and saw Riley waving from a table. From where he stood, she looked different. Maybe it was her hair that looked rather neat instead of spiked around her head. Or it could have been the fact that she had no make up on. Or was it the clothes that fit properly? He walked over to the table and sat down with a sigh.

"Please tell me that you know the difference between logarithmic graphs and natural logarithmic graphs?"

Riley threw back her head and laughed.

"Is that what has you all bent out of shape?"

"That and the fact that trig identities all look the same."

"Let me see what you've got so far."

Alex dug around in his bag and pulled out the dreaded text book stuffed with his notes.

Riley glanced at his notes and then at the book. It didn't take her long before she found his mistakes.

They spent the next two hours going over the rules. When they were done, Alex felt as if his brain was slowly leaking out of his ears.

"Are you sure you understand?" she asked.

"Positive," he said as he put his head down. "When will I ever need this in the real world?"

"Probably never. This is their way of making us suffer."

Alex just shook his head before propping his elbow on the table.

"So, is Jack really mad at me?" she asked after a while.

"I'm not sure. I know that she's pissed at me, though."

"Would it be better if I apologized to her?"

"For what? You didn't do anything but sleep over."

"I know, but…" she trailed off as she ran her fingers through her hair making it stick up.

"No buts. Jack's just gonna have to accept the fact that I'm not 14 anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Now, I believe I promised you some kisses."

"That you did. Are you gonna make good on that promise?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you think I brought up the topic?"

888

It was after six when Alex finally walked through his front door. He heard Jack moving around in the kitchen and he had every intention on ignoring her, but she caught him as he walked past.

"You're home."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yup."

"What did you do today?"

"I met with Riley."

"And what did you talk about?"

"I asked her when she wanted to sneak over and have her way with me."

Jack whirled around so fast she almost slipped in her socks.

"What?!"

Alex leaned against the counter top with an ease he didn't feel. He didn't know why Jack acted as if Riley was the end of the world. It's not like they spent the afternoon getting high or whatever. He actually did his homework and when they were done, they went to the park to swing.

"She helped me with some homework, Jack. Give me a little credit," he said as he opened the pantry and looked inside for some Cheetos.

"And you expect me to believe that?" she asked incredulous.

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Because it's the truth."

Jack watched as he opened a new bag and popped a few in his mouth. She knew she should believe him, but the image of the both of them in one bed that morning was clouding her judgment.

"Are you sure?"

Alex sat down and stared at her. "Yes, I'm sure. When have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"

"You haven't."

"Do you honestly think that I would start now?"

She looked down. "No."

"Okay then." He stood up to leave.

"What about this morning?" She turned around and looked at him. "You guys were cuddling pretty close together.

"That's what you do when you cuddle, Jack or have you forgotten?" When he saw that his attempt at humor was just that, he sought to quickly assuage her fears. "We got to second base before falling asleep and third is somewhere over the rainbow. Happy now?"

* * *

So what do you think? Should I have kept this in the deepest, darkest recesses of my mind or what? Press the little blue button and drop me a line. RC


	7. Chapter 7

I'm baaaaack! It's taken a while because I couldn't find my rhythym for this chapter. After, like, six re-writes, I think I have it the way I want it. I really am sorry about the wait though. So here is the long awaited chapter seven!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Alex Rider. If I did, I would be rich and I would have met the hottie that played him in the movie. (Has anyone seen that really crazy video Alex has on his myspace? If not, you should check it out.) Anyways, without further ado...**

Chapter Seven

A whole week had passed since their last conversation in the kitchen. The silence didn't bother Alex so much; he was used to not talking to anybody for long periods of time. Jack, on the other hand, wasn't used to such silence. She would try any and everything to alleviate the silence. Still, the silence remained. The mornings were especially bad. They were normally filled with the sounds of Alex stumbling around in his room trying to wake up. Now, she barely heard him anymore. After five days of such antics, she was fed up.

Jack was in the kitchen when the front door opened and closed. She waited with bated breath as she heard footsteps pass the kitchen and head up the stairs. Expelling the breath she had been holding, Jack went back to making her salad. While she ate, she went over everything that she could say to apologize. With an iron clad resolve, Jack went upstairs to end their little cold war.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she padded silently to his door. Jack peaked in his room and smiled. What she saw was the definition of normalcy. Alex was lying on his bed doing his homework while talking on the phone. Seeing that he was happy, she started to back up.

"I know you're standing there so you might as well come in," he said as he hung up the phone.

Jack felt foolish for being found out so quickly. But then again, she would have thought something was wrong with him if he didn't realize that she was standing there. Shaking her head, she walked into his room and sat down on his desk chair.

Seeing that she wasn't going to start talking, Alex decided to keep doing his maths homework which was a hell of a lot easier now. The memory of the day when he corrected his teacher's mistake brought a smile to his face.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, come on. You're smiling at your math book. That's not _nothing_."

Alex just shook his head but after more cajoling on Jack's part, he told her.

"My teacher thought it would be funny to have me get up in front of the class to explain how to do a problem. She thought it would be great fun to have me embarrass myself in front of everyone…"

"That evil, cow! How could she do that to you?! That's not how you teach! I should write her a very angry letter!"

Alex burst out laughing at the look on Jack's face: her cheeks were flushed and she had a murderous glint in her blue eyes. She was truly upset by the way his teacher treated him.

"That's not funny, Alex. You don't teach through intimidation. It's not right," she said hotly.

"I know it's not. That's why I got up and did the problem correctly while correcting one of her many mistakes on the example problem."

"What did she say when you were done?"

"She didn't say anything. She did look like she ate quite a few rotten eggs though."

"Good. The nerve of that cow."

Jack muttered a few more colorful names before she looked out of the window. For a while, the atmosphere between them was like it used to be.

"Jack, you came up here for a reason and it wasn't to curse my teacher into next week," he said as he pinned her with a stare.

"You're right. I came up here to end our cold war."

"Cold war?"

"Don't get technical with me. You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

Jack took a deep breath before she opened her mouth.

"I wanted to apologize. I know I said some things that shouldn't have been said and I'm sorry. I should have talked to you first before I went off. I know that this is no excuse, but this is so new to me. I've always known what to say to you but this is unfamiliar territory. If you think this is embarrassing to you, how to do you think I feel? I've always felt like your sister and this is putting me in a new role that I wasn't expecting."

"I have to grow up sometime, Jack."

"I know that, I do. I just thought it would happen a little bit later."

"When I'm 20?"

"More like 35."

Alex shook his head as he walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did. You were just trying to understand what was going on with me. It's just everyone has been second guessing me lately. Teachers, people I've known since Year 9, everyone. It just got a little too much and I snapped. You are the only person that truly trusts me and when you didn't, it hurt."

Jack squeezed him back. "This was just one big misunderstanding. I just assumed that something was wrong."

"Well, you know what they say when you assume. It just makes an ass out of you and me. Well, more out of you than me."

Laughing, Alex ducked as Jack's hand passed the spot where his head once was.

"Very funny, Alex," she said as she stood up.

Alex just shrugged.

"So what are you doing tonight?"

Alex gasped. "Could this be? Are you seriously okay with me going out? Have aliens taken over your body?" he asked with mock concern as he cradled her face with his hands.

"Get a grip, Rider. If aliens had taken over my body, I think you'd notice. So are you going out or what?"

"Why?"

"Curious."

"Probably not. I've got some studying to do."

"Oh."

"Why do you sound like I've let you down?"

"I just wondered if you would like to invite Riley over for pizza or something."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Just because all of this weirds me out, doesn't mean that I can't be nice. So why don't you call her," Jack said as she walked out of his room. "And while you're at it, ask her what kind of pizza she likes."

888

And hour and a half later, the doorbell rang.

"I got it!" Jack called from the kitchen. She wiped her hands on a dish cloth before scooping up the money for the pizza. When she opened the door she handed over the money. "Oh! I'm sorry. I thought you were the pizza guy. Please come in."

Riley stepped through the door and looked around as Jack closed the door.

"You can wait for Alex in the kitchen. I think he's having hair problems," Jack said in a stage whisper.

"I heard that!" he called from upstairs.

Riley smiled as she followed Jack into the kitchen and took a seat at the bar.

"So, how are you?" Jack asked.

"I'm fine. You?"

"I'm better," Jack said with a smile as she looked up from the salad she was making.

"Were you sick?" Riley asked as she speared a black cherry tomato with a toothpick.

"Nope. It's just that this past week I've been living with an irritable boy."

"Oh, Jack. I'm real sorry about that. I didn't mean to come between you two."

Jack waved a dismissive hand. "No harm, no foul. I just have to get used to the fact that he's growing up. I do, however, want to apologize to you. I didn't mean anything that I said; I was just shocked and a little worried."

This time Riley shook her head in dismissal. "I've been called worse. When I was Stateside, my friend's mother thought I was the one who turned her precious daughter on to prescription pills. What she didn't know was that her daughter had been popping pills since before I even met her."

There was companionable silence between them. A few more minutes passed and there was still no Alex.

"What's keeping him?" Jack asked.

"Oi, Rider! Get your ass down here pronto!"

"I'm coming!" he said and they heard him jogging down the stairs. "I had to call Tom." As soon as he made it to the bottom, the doorbell rang again.

"Get that, will you? The money's by the door."

A few minutes later, Alex walked into the kitchen holding two large pizza boxes.

"Dinner is served," he said as he opened the box and took out a slice. "This is good."

"Apparently," Jack said. "Please be civilized. You don't want Riley to think that you're some type of barbarian."

"She already knows that," he said giving her a wink.

"I don't think I want to know the details to that one."

Riley laughed as she took a bite of her slice of pepperoni.

"So, are we cool?" he asked looking at the both of them.

"Of course," they said in union.

"Good. Let's take this party into the den. I think the latest James Bond movie is playing on Demand," he said as he picked up his box and walked out.

Riley grabbed the other box and some napkins while Jack grabbed some Cokes and her mini salad before they joined Alex on the leather sofa.

888

Sometime later, Jack stood up yawning. Before she went upstairs, she gave Riley a look.

"I promise not to molest him while you're sleeping, Jack," Riley promised.

"It's not you I'm worried about," she muttered.

"I'm trustworthy. Honest," Alex said as he stuck his head around the wall giving Jack his scout's honor.

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight you two."

Alex waited until Jack left before coming back into the den. "Are you going to leave now?"

"Yeah. I've got to get cross town on the Tube."

"Come on. I'm going to go with you."

They left his house and walked to the nearest Tube station. As they waited for her train, Riley tried to get him to go back home.

"I'll be okay. I've done this before."

Alex kissed her before she could protest any more.

"Why can't I just walk you home?" he asked hugging her close.

"I live on the other side of town."

"Wrong answer," he said before he kissed her again.

"Okay, okay," she said when they came up for air a few minutes later. "You can walk me home."

"That's better. Our ride is here," he said as he wrapped his arm around her and hooked his thumb through her belt loop. He felt her do the same and they got onto the train.

* * *

Okay. What did you think? And be honest with me. It's been a while and I got out of my groove. I got a review the other day and it helped me to get out of my funk. Enough of my ramblings. So press that little blue button and review! Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

I'm back loyal readers! The disclaimers are still the same blah, blah, blah. On with the story!

* * *

Chapter Eight

When school finally ended, Alex found himself sitting in front of the TV for most of the day playing Halo Live with a few of his mates from school.

"Tom, do not go into that building," he said over the headset.

"What do you mean, Rider?" Tom asked.

"Tom, remember what I do for fun?"

Tom took a moment before he responded. "Oh. Right."

Alex watched as someone from another team went into the building and promptly died.

"That would have been you, my friend," he said as Tom just laughed.

"How are things with Riley?"

"Fine. It's been about three months, I think."

"A record!" Tom cried over their connection.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Wait, hold on," Alex said as he concentrated on the screen in order to dodge the thing thrown in his direction. "Are you ready to end this mission?"

"Hell yeah. Do you think Robert and Carl have a chance at finishing before us?"

"Nope."

"Why do you sound so confident?"

"Let's say that they have a big surprise waiting for them in three, two, one."

Alex heard Tom curse under his breath as there was a big explosion on their respectable screens.

"Did you bomb them?"

"Of course. Survival of the fittest. Isn't that what Darwin hypothesized?"

"School has ended, Rider. Don't get all scientific on me okay?"

Alex rolled his eyes. A few moments later, the mission ended and Alex saw that their ranking increased.

"You rock!" Tom said.

"I know," Alex said as he dialed Tom's number. When he heard him pick up, he turned off his headset. "You wanna do something later?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Noth… hold on," he said as he pressed the flash button on his phone. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing right now?" Riley asked.

"Talking to Tom, why?"

"I need you."

"For what?" he asked as he stood up to go into the kitchen to raid the pantry once more.

"I was talking to Mai on the phone and she mentioned you and my mom was in hearing distance and now you've been invited for dinner," she said in a rush.

Alex stopped what he was doing as he stared out of the window in the kitchen. "What?"

"That's exactly what I said. I tried to get you out of it, but my dad went all 'some punk's dating my daughter and he hasn't asked for permission blah, blah, blah.' It's not that I'm purposely trying to keep you away from them, well, I am, but not because I don't think they won't like you; it's because my dad is kinda strict and he sort of chased off my last boyfriend. I think you can handle it, but… Do you understand?"

"Um… yeah. So what time is dinner?"

"Seven thirty."

Alex looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:45.

"That's soon."

"I know but it just came up. If you're not on time, you'll never hear the end of it and neither will I. I'm so sorry to rush you, but can you come?"

"Yeah. I'll, um, go get dressed. Any particular attire?" he asked as he went upstairs after turning off the TV.

"Dressy casual."

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

"Bye."

She had hung up before he could reply. Alex could tell that she was stressing out over this and he wondered just how bad her parents could be. He flashed back to Tom.

"About damn time. I thought you had been shanghaied to China or something."

"What?"

Tom sighed. "You know those people you are so fond of?"

"Yeah?"

"Didn't you tell me they can whisk you off at a moment's notice?"

"Yeah."

"Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"No, not really."

Tom gave a really theatric sigh. "I can tell you're on Cloud Riley. Where are you guys rushing off to without me?" he asked trying to keep the jealousy from his voice.

"I'm meeting her parents," Alex said distractedly as he went through all of his nicer clothes, which took up a very small space in his closet.

"You're what?!"

Alex frowned. "I'm meeting her parents."

Tom burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Good luck."

"Thanks, I think. Look, I gotta go. I'ma talk to you later."

"If you're still alive, that is."

Alex stared at his phone as the dial tone sounded in his ear. What the hell did that mean? Deciding to think about that later, Alex went down the hall and knocked on Jack's door.

"Come in," she called. She looked up when Alex walked in. "What's up?"

"I've just been invited over to Riley's for dinner and I need something to wear."

Jack's eyes welled up as she rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"What's wrong?" he asked, completely confused.

"My little baby is growing up. Oh my God. You're meeting her parents!" she squealed. Jack grabbed his hand and pulled him back to his room.

Alex sat down and watched as Jack entered his closet muttering about him having too many pairs of jeans.

"Is there a particular attire?" she asked.

"Dressy casual."

"Gotcha."

She dug around a little before she came out holding a pair of charcoal grey slacks and a silver grey silk shell shirt.

"Wear this," she said as she draped the articles of clothing on his arm before she retreated back into his closet. When she came back out, she was holding a pair of black Kenneth Cole loafers with the matching black belt. "Yes, I think that'll do. Now go take a shower. Mush, mush!"

"That'll do pig, that'll do(1)," he muttered as he rolled his eyes at Jack for pushing him into the bathroom.

888

Alex got out of the shower fifteen minutes later. He walked into his room to find Jack sitting on the corner of his bed smiling.

He groaned. "What now?"

Jack just held up her hand and smiled at his horrified expression. The last time she held up her hand, he got a not so nice surprise. To give him a hint, she shook her hand. His eyes widened as he realized what she was holding.

"You're letting me drive your Mini?" he asked, taking the keys from her hand.

She shrugged. "Why not? You passed your test with flying colors and you're a responsible driver, so yeah."

"Thank you so much!" he said as he gave her a one armed hug.

"Just do me a favor and keep that towel up," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to let you get dressed. Call me when you're finished."

Jack closed the door and Alex started to get dressed. When he was done, he walked into Jack's room.

"What do you think?"

"You're gonna give her dad a heart attack because she's not gonna want to take her hands off of you."

Alex looked at himself in her mirror.

Jack thought he looked like a Calvin Klein model(2). She smiled when she noticed the silver ring with the Celtic artwork on his ring finger and his Invicta diving watch.

"What time is dinner?"

"Seven thirty."

Jack looked at the clock and cursed. "You've got about forty minutes to get across town and I don't want you speeding to get there," she said as she followed him down the stairs and out the front door.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, Jack," he said as he opened the door to her forest green Mini(3).

"Be safe!" she called as he closed the door and started the car. She stood in the door way until he turned the corner with a wave.

888

Alex grimaced when he turned the radio on. He hated classical music. It reminded him of too many driving trips with Ian. He fiddled with the knob until he found a station he liked. The drive to Riley's house in Gipsy Hill went by in a flash. He pulled up to the front of her house with minutes to spare. Turning off the engine, he looked at her house. From what he could see, it was very nice. He had just taken off his seatbelt when his phone chimed.

**Where are you?**

_Outside. Y?_

**No reason. I'm just happy you're here. Look up.**

Alex looked up and saw the curtains moving on a second floor window. Riley was waving frantically at him in what could either be relief or panic. Either way, he had to get out of the car. He closed the door and started up the front walk. Just before he made it to the door, he saw the curtains of a front window closing. He raised a hand to ring the doorbell when the door swung open to reveal a man standing at 6'5 scowling down at him at him. Although their difference in height was only a few centimeters, Riley's dad's demeanor was domineering.

Alex swallowed. _Oh shit. _

* * *

(1): That little one liner comes from _Babe._ I just love that line to pieces.

(2): Ummm. Now since I have a face to put with the name, whenever I think _Alex Rider,_ I see Alex Pettyfer and he did that whole summer Burberry ad and well... you get it, right?

(3): In the movie (which completely went against the book in some ways and totally lived up to my expectations in other ways), Jack's Mini is red. I changed it to forest green because it seems more manly to me. (Don't ask about that; my mind is weird.)

Dun, dun, dunnnnn! Ooh, before dinner even starts, Alex has to get past Riley's dad! I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter. It may be up by mid-tomorrow, I think.

On another note, I have no idea where this is going. Some one gave me tip in one of their reviews (you know who you are!) that I've been seriously thinking about that hasn't been put on paper yet. Sigh The inner workings of a writer's mind is quite messy until the plot bunnies bless you with a Seer's clarity. Enough ranting by me. There's a little silver blue button down in the left corner. Click it and leave me a review.

PS. If any of you decide to send me an PM in response to my review reply, send it to because my other email adress is under construction. Stupid ATT people. Hopefully, it'll get sent. Thanks for taking the time to read this A/N. Peace. -RC


	9. AN: Hey Guys!

Hey guys. Umm… as you can see, I have't updated in God knows how long. I hate to say that I've run into a mental roadblock. Nothing I've come up with has been a success. Now, I know that many of you enjoyed this fic, but I can't continue it any longer, thanks to the enormous block in my brain. Sorry if this got anyone's hopes up. If I can, if my some huge miracle, come up with something that I think will blow your socks off, then I'll post it up and take this down. In the meantime, I will wrack my brain and/or the plot bunnies will give me another topic to write about. Until then readers….

XOXO

Rid3r Chick


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